Paid Family Leave

Giving Oregon Families Time to Care

Perhaps nothing says more about what a family is than the act of caring for each other. It begins from the moment after birth, when parents welcome the baby. It takes place when a parent stays with a sick child to make sure she gets better. And it happens when a son or daughter take their ailing, aging parent to see a doctor.

Sadly, today, unreasonable working conditions interfere with this most basic family function. Only some workers have a right to take unpaid leave for the birth or new adoption of a child, or to care for a seriously ill family member. Many who have the right to such time off cannot afford to do so.

Paid family leave insurance is a long-overdue policy that will allow family members to care for each other. Because it is an insurance system funded by employee contributions, it costs employers nothing. And yet paid family leave benefits not just families and communities, but also businesses. It is a win-win program.